Fox on Vickerson: ‘Has a Lot of the Tools’

DENVER – Defensive end Kevin Vickerson may not have seemed like the most obvious target among potential free agents from the Broncos’ roster, but his experience as a starter and age made him an immediate priority for the team’s top brass, leading to the decision to give him a two-year contract last week.

“He’s the youngest one of the group, and I think when you look at our defense and you look at our age, we’ve got to get younger,” executive vice president John Elway said of the 28-year-old Vickerson. “We have a lot of guys that are getting up there in age.”

Two defensive linemen on the upper side of 30 were cut last week — defensive end Justin Bannan, who projected as a tackle in the 4-3 alignment, and nose tackle Jamal Williams.

“Hopefully we’ll still get a chance to talk with Bannan and Jamal down the way, but we’ll see how this whole thing unravels,” Elway said. “We’re still in limbo seeing what’s going to happen (with the collective bargaining agreement).”

Vickerson projects as a tackle in the 4-3, head coach John Fox noted on Tuesday morning.

“I don’t know if he’s turned the corner, but he’s definitely on the curve and is a guy that we think can definitely help us,” Fox said. “He’s got a lot of the tools physically that we’re looking for.”

Elway said the Broncos were in “wait-and-see” mode with defensive tackle Marcus Thomas, who plans to test the free-agent market.

About Andrew Mason

Andrew Mason has covered the NFL since 1999, when he worked as an editor on NFL.com when the site was managed by ESPN.com. He worked six seasons (2002-07) covering the Broncos on their official website and two (2008-09) on the Panthers' site. He began MaxDenver.com in 2010 and now contributes to CBSSports.com, The Sporting News and The New York Times.